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And in the end...
September 26, 1969, is a historic date in the world of music. Abbey Road was released, the last (but not last) of the 12 albums published by the Beatles (13 if you include Magical Mystery Tour). And what better farewell could there have been than such an album? On the way to disbanding due to internal disagreements and the economic difficulties of Apple that had been weighing on the group for some time (rather than Lennon - McCartney, one might write alongside the lyrics Lennon vs. McCartney), the four now mature Liverpool boys managed to put together a unique and incredibly homogeneous album (unlike the White Album) that nods towards the imminent '70s (here and there you can hear the sound of the Moog synthesizer, recently introduced). The album flows beautifully from beginning to end.
The two most prolific members who penned the best songs are Lennon and Harrison. John writes gems like Come Together and I Want You (She's so Heavy). The first has become a generational anthem and is electrifyingly beautiful. Masterful. The second is a sort of blues/rock lasting a good 7 minutes and 48 seconds, during which the last 3 minutes reprise the initial guitar and bass riff and repeat it endlessly, creating a dark and dreamy atmosphere... but it will be a rude awakening because the song abruptly cuts off, giving the impression our stereo has gone.
George, on the other hand, proves himself a great songwriter with two splendid songs, Something and Here Comes the Sun, absolutely two of the most beautiful he composed. Even Ringo, until now always more than a bit in the background, pulls out of his hat the most successful piece of his entire career with the Beatles, Octopus's Garden, and will also give us his only drum solo in The End. McCartney is the usual melodist of the group and the most attached to the patterns of the song that features fictional characters. Some songs he wrote include Golden Slumbers, Maxwell's Silver Hammer (in my opinion, the most pointless song on the album), and She Came in Through the Bathroom Window.
The B-side of the album is characterized by the presence of a long and expertly arranged medley of which McCartney's You Never Give Me Your Money (which talks about the financial difficulties of Apple) and Lennon's Sun King, where he enjoys singing nonsensical Italo-Spanish phrases (Quando paramucho mi amore de felice corazon, Mundo paparazzi mi amore chicka ferdy parasol, Presto abrigado tantamucho cake and eat it carousel), stand out. Still on side B, we find Because composed on the chords of Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" played backward.
But it's not only the songs contained within the album grooves that make it a milestone of pop/rock music. Just looking at it from the outside, you immediately understand that it's not just any album. The cover photo is very simple but impressive. It was taken on the morning of August 8, 1969, on the pedestrian crossing in front of the Abbey Studios and will go down in history, like so many other Beatles icons, to the point where the Beetle parked on the sidewalk was sold at a Sotheby's auction in 1986. Who among you, being a great Beatles fan, has never dreamed of getting photographed while crossing that crosswalk? No special title, just Abbey Road (The album was initially going to be titled Everest, but due to record company needs, there was not enough time to head to the Himalayas to take the photos that would appear on the cover).
Abbey Road also contains the first ghost track in history, although this happened due to a mistake by the technician who cut the tape incorrectly. Her Majesty (only 23 seconds long) dedicated to Queen Elizabeth, was moved at Paul's request from its original position (between Mean Mr. Mustard and Polythene Pam) and placed at the end of the master, waiting to be deleted; but it remained there. In fact, Her Majesty lacks the final chord, which remained at the beginning of Polythene Pam. The result is a suspended, unfinished ending, not without unusual suggestion. The Beatles were this too.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Come Together (04:21)
Here come old flat top
He come groovin' up slowly
He got ju-ju eyeball
He one holy roller
He got hair down to his knees
Got to be a joker
He just do what he please
He wear no shoeshine
He got toe jam football
He got monkey finger
He shoot Coca Cola
He say I know you, you know me
One thing I can tell you is
You got to be free
Come together, right now
Over me
He bag production
He got walrus gumboot
He got Ono sideboard
He one spinal cracker
He got feet down below his knees
Hold you in his arms yeah
You can feel his disease
Come together, right now
Over me
He roller coaster
He got early warning
He got muddy water
He one Mojo filter
He say one and one and one is three
Got to be good looking
'Cause he's so hard to see
Come together right now
Over me
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
02 Something (03:03)
Something in the way she moves
Attracts me like no other lover
Something in the way she woos me
I don't want to leave her now
You know I believe and how
Somewhere in her smile she knows
That I don't need no other lover
Something in her style that shows me
I don't want to leave her now
You know I believe and how
You're asking me will my love grow
I don't know, I don't know
You stick around and it may show
I don't know, I don't know
Something in the way she knows
And all I have to do is think of her
Something in the things she shows me
I don't want to leave her now
You know I believe and how
04 Oh! Darling (03:27)
Oh, darling
Please believe me
I'll never do you no harm
Believe me when I tell you
I'll never do you no harm
Oh, darling
If you leave me
I'll never make it alone
Believe me when I beg you
Don't ever leave me alone
When you told me
You didn't need me anymore
Well, you know, I nearly
Broke down and cried
When you told me
You didn't need me anymore
Well, you know, I nearly
Broke down and died
Oh, darling
If you leave me
I'll never make it alone
Believe me when I tell you
I'll never do you no harm
Believe me, darling
When you told me
You didn't need me anymore
Well, you know, I nearly
Broke down and cried
When you told me
You didn't need me anymore
Well, you know, I nearly
Broke down and died
Oh, darling
Please believe me
I'll never let you down
Oh, believe me, darling
Believe me when I tell you
I'll never do you no harm
06 I Want You (She's So Heavy) (07:47)
I want you
I want you so bad
I want you
I want you so bad
It's driving me mad
It's driving me mad
I want you
I want you so bad, babe
I want you
I want you so bad
It's driving me mad
It's driving me mad
I want you
I want you so bad
I want you
I want you so bad
It's driving me mad
It's driving me mad
I want you
I want you so bad, babe
I want you
I want you so bad
It's driving me mad
It's driving me mad
She's so heavy
Heavy, heavy, heavy, heavy
I want you
I want you so bad
I want you
I want you so bad
It's driving me mad
It's driving me mad
I want you
I want you so bad, babe
I want you
You know I want you so bad
It's driving me mad
It's driving me mad
Yeah, she's so heavy
Heavy, heavy, heavy, heavy
I want you
I want you so bad
I want you
I want you so bad
It's driving me mad
It's driving me mad
I want you
You know I want you so bad, babe
I want you
You know I want you so bad
It's driving me mad
It's driving me mad
Yeah
She's so
12 Polythene Pam (01:13)
Well you should see Polythene Pam
She's so good looking but she looks like a man
Well you should see her in drag
Dressed in a polythene bag
Yes you should see Polythene Pam
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Get a dose of her in jackboots and kilt
She's killer-diller when she's dressed to the hilt
She's the kind of a girl
That makes the "News of the World"
Yes you could say she was attractively built
Yeah, yeah, yeah
14 Golden Slumbers (01:32)
Once there was a way, to get back homeward
Once there was a way, to get back home
Sleep pretty darling, do not cry
And I will sing a lullaby
Golden Slumbers fill your eyes
Smiles awake you when you rise
Sleep pretty darling, do not cry
And I will sing a lullaby
Once there was a way, to get back homeward
Once there was a way, to get back home
Sleep pretty darling, do not cry
And I will sing a lullaby
15 Carry That Weight (01:37)
Boy, you're gonna carry that weight
Carry that weight a long time
Boy, you're gonna carry that weight
Carry that weight a long time
I never give you my pillow
I only send you my invitation
And in the middle of the celebrations, I break down
Boy, you're gonna carry that weight
Carry that weight a long time
Boy, you're gonna carry that weight
Carry that weight a long time
16 The End (02:20)
Oh yeah
Alright
Are you gonna be in my dreams
Tonight
Love you
Love you
Love you
Love you
And in the end
The love you take
Is equal to
The love you make
17 Her Majesty (00:23)
Her Majesty's a pretty nice girl
But she doesn't have a lot to say
Her Majesty's a pretty nice girl
But she changes from day to day
I wanna tell her that I love her a lot
But I gotta get a belly full of wine
Her Majesty's a pretty nice girl
Someday I'm gonna make her mine
Oh yeah, someday I'm gonna make her mine
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Other reviews
By rob
Paul is the only one differing from the other FAB 4, walking barefoot with the right foot leading—clues to his alleged death.
Abbey Road is dominated by Paul’s particular state of grace, especially in the final majestic medley that builds a sober but flashy mosaic.
By pinkoSpallino
This album is mainly famous for its cover, which portrays the 4 boys from Liverpool as they were heading towards their futures.
In short, a great album that demonstrates how this group created unforgettable things.
By Jack Darko
"Abbey Road is the true masterpiece of rock music, it is certainly the album that has influenced rock music the most."
"The track 'The End' is of astonishing beauty because it mixes a sort of primitive punk, rock, and a beautiful slow bit at the end. Absolute masterpiece."
By enbar77
"Abbey Road, despite everything, is a work of overwhelming charm, rich with exceptional pieces of pure rock."
"In the end the love you take is equal to the love you make."
By whereismymind
Between this record and any other, there is a chasm not to be found in the individual songs but in the magic and surreal balance of the whole.
With side B of Abbey Road, music reaches the top and from that moment on, it can only descend.
